What is a red roan horse?

A red roan horse is a horse that has a coat that is mostly red (called chestnut or sorrel in horse breeding terminology), with numerous single white hairs interspersed throughout, giving the animal a powdery appearance. There are few to no white hairs on the legs and head of roans.

Red roans are sometimes also known as strawberry roans, lilac roans or honey roans, depending on the darkness and richness of the red in their coats. Bay horses with the roan pattern were once also classed as red roans, but since 1999 they have been called bay roans instead. Bay horses are varying shades of blackish brown, often with black manes and tails.